» 
ON SLAVE TRADE (EAST COAST OF AFRICA) 
27 
Zanzibar. It so happens that there are now 
two brothers, one at Zanzibar, and the other at 
^uscat ; and it was under those particular con 
ditions that the award was made that one brother 
^ûould pay a subsidy to the other, so that there 
'yould be no reason for the Sultan of Zanzibar 
declining the payment now, whereas there was 
^^Gn a sufficient pretext for not forcing him to 
P^y it. 
340. The Committee asked you questions with 
^®gard to the trade of Zanzibar on the last 
Occasion, but I will now ask you this ; was the 
^ade direct from England to Zanzibar ?—The 
¡British trade is direct and indirect; on the whole 
amounts to a little more than half the whole of 
T® trade of Zanzibar, but that does not appear on 
statement that has been published here by 
Kirk, for he says in one portion of his Report 
that the British trade appeared to diminish by 
"^07,000 dollars ; that was in the year 1866-1867 
poly ; and again, it is mostly British trade that 
carried on by foreigners. The Hamburg 
o^d the French houses send their vessels direct 
^0 England, and import into Zanzibar British 
OiGrchandise. The Arabs do not know where it 
^îïies from ; they only see that it comes in a 
r^^Gnch vessel, or that it is imported by a French 
oouse, and they put it down as French goods, 
^ot it is really English goods. The trade of 
^^Qzibar with Great Britain is increasing every 
day. 
. ?4l. But that is principally in foreign bottoms. 
It not?—Yes, and even in English vessels; the 
O^de is carried on by Germans and French, 
§Gnerally speaking. Within the last two years, 
English house has been established. Messrs, 
^^iseman & Co. have considerable trade with 
^aiizibar now, and I believe they are intending 
enlarge it very much ; but the Indian trade 
J^ith Zanzibar, though it has really increased, 
^ not increased in the same proportion as the 
her trade ; comparatively speaking, it has de- 
dî-Gased. 
^ 342. How would the openino; of the Suez 
Afi 
affect the trade 
opening 
on the East Coast of 
pírica ?—In former days merchandise was sent 
Q Zanzibar, and from Zanzibar to Europe by the 
p '^Pe ^ of Good Hope, in sailing vessels ; the 
^duities now are so great viâ Egypt that steamers 
, be employed. In former days merchants’ 
^Pital could only be turned over once in 12 
^dnths; but now as the voyage through the 
^'^nal only occupies, going and coming, about 75 
it may be turned over three or four times ; 
■'vib'^ "^ill be satisfied with less profits ; but they 
ttiake quite as much, if not more money, 
^^ougb being enabled to use their capital so many 
^dre times in a year. I think that Austria and 
will, if we do not pay attention to the 
^Gr, derive more benefit from it than we shall. 
Have you turned your attention to what 
Yg ^®d you would recommend the English Go- 
i^ ^^Gnt to take to put an end to the slave trade 
of y quarters, and with regard to the Sultan 
Gnt ^^^^bar, to enforce the treaties which he has 
Hig^^^^iûto?—Yes; my opinion is that strong 
fQj.^P^’^Gs should be taken with Seyed Burgash, 
^Oc man who will not understand forbear- 
H strong measures cannot be taken, for 
®bouTf ^Gasons, then I should propose that we 
Os + ^ borce him, indirectly, to make a treaty with 
hb^ ^ ^ stop to the slave trade, by menacing 
bis fbe deprivation of a certain portion of 
' 0 j^^dme that he derives, without having a 
right to it, from our Indian subjects who carry 
on the trade betw een Zanzibar and the coast. 
The treaties say we are not to pay any export 
duty ; the farmer of the customs at Zanzibar is a 
Banyan British subject, and most of the men 
who carry on the petty trade between the coast 
and the island are Banyans also, who are 
afraid of him, and of his influence • and he has 
induced them to pay him the tax of 5 per cent, 
on everything that is imported into Zanzibar 
from the coast ; but in reality it is export from 
Zanzibar, and it amounts to something like 36,000 
dollars a year; this, if Seyed Burgash was not 
particularly agreeable to us, w e might take away 
from him. 
344. By simply claiming the fulfilment of the 
treaty ?—Yes ; having deprived him of this source 
of income, we might hereafter say we would give 
it back to him, as a compensation, if he made a 
treaty with us putting down or limiting the slave 
trade. 
345. ^ii\ Kennawai/.~\ You mean allowing him 
those charges which he makes illegally at pre 
sent?—Yes. 
346. Chairman.^ Is the Sultan of Zanzibar 
the only Arab Chief that it would be necessary 
to make terms with ?—No; there are chiefs on 
the Somali Coast (on the Coast of Africa), between 
Cape Guardafui and Zanzibar, whom we should 
call upon to pay more attention to their treaties ; 
and then again there is the Sultan of Muscat ; 
and a great many of his subjects (in fact, most of 
the Northern Arabs are his subjects) come down 
purposely to carry on the slave trade. They 
belong to the neighbourhood of Ras il Had, and 
trade under his jurisdiction. I do not suppose 
he derives any direct profit from the slave 
trade (though that is questionable) ; at all 
events, he might exercise his power over his 
subjects to prevent them from going down to 
kidnap slaves ; and when they go back with the 
slaves, he would assuredly have the powder of 
detecting them. 
347. Have you any idea of the number of 
slaves that find their way into Persia, and how 
they get there?—Lately, in Bombay, I made 
inquiry on the matter. There is a man of great 
influence there of the name of Aga Khan, who 
is the spiritual chief of the Mussulmans of Bom 
bay ; and though I did not see him, I saw some 
of his relations, and they thought about 3,000 
or 4,000 slaves found their way into Persia 
annually. 
348. How do you say they get there ; they 
go to Muscat first, I suppose ? — Yes ; they 
are first taken to the coast of Arabia from Rasai 
Had to the Persian Gulf, and from that they 
are crossed over into Persian territory. 
349. A former witness told us that at Muscat 
there was an open acknowledgment of the exist 
ence of a slave market ; do you think that is 
the case !—I do not think there is, but I am not 
quite sure. General Rigby would give the 
Committee better information on that point than 
I can. 
350. Sir B. Anstruthe?'.'] Are those slaves that 
find their way into Persia shipped from Zanzibar 
and the ports adjacent?—Yes; they are shipped 
from Zanzibar and the ports in that neigh 
bourhood. 
351. Chairman.'] Do any slaves find their way 
into India ?—Yes, I have heard so. 
352. As slaves?—Yes, as slaves. General 
Rigby was political agent at Kuttawar for a 
D 2 certain 
Mr. H. A 
Churchill, 
C,B. 
17 July 
1871.